The Journal - Craig Wilsonhttp://www.journalmpls.com/tag-topics/craig-wilson
enWork continues on ride-sharing ordinance to regulate UberX, Lyfthttp://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/work-continues-on-ride-sharing-ordinance-to-regulate-uberx-lyft
<div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Ben Johnson</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>City staff is working on crafting an ordinance that could require “ride-sharing” services that have recently begun operating in the Twin Cities to be licensed and regulated in a similar fashion to taxi cabs.</p>
<p>UberX and Lyft are two services that allow people to use an app on their phones to request and pay for rides from other people driving their own vehicle.</p>
<p>At the end of the ride UberX – an offshoot of Uber, which operates under limousine regulations – charges an amount based on time, distance traveled and current demand to the passenger’s credit card. Lyft operates in a nearly identical fashion, but it a requests a suggested donation at the end of the ride instead of automatically charging the passenger’s card.</p>
<p>Both services take a 20 percent of the fare and the remaining 80 percent goes to the driver. To sign up to become a driver the companies require a safety inspection, valid insurance and a late-model car.</p>
<p>Both companies are currently operating without being licensed as a business by the city of Minneapolis. During the last six months city staff has joined a handful of other cities around the country in scrambling to come up with an ordinance that can regulate the burgeoning ride-sharing trend.</p>
<p>Craig Wilson, head of business licensing for Minneapolis, said the new ordinance could look a lot like Seattle’s, which passed on March 17. Seattle elected to require ride-sharing drivers to register through the same process as cab drivers and limited the number of ride-sharing drivers that can be operating at once to 150. It also required the companies to provide commercial insurance for its drivers any time they are logged onto the app that allows them to pick up passengers.</p>
<p>Ward 7 City Council Member Lisa Goodman compared the rise of companies like Uber and Lyft to the rise of food trucks a few years ago. She acknowledged that some restaurant owners were “disgusted” by the city’s friendly attitude toward food trucks, but she said overall it was a good thing because it allowed young entrepreneurs to avoid some of the high costs associated with starting a new business.</p>
<p>“This is the wave of the future, we are not the first city to deal with this,” said Goodman at a March 18 City Council committee meeting. “It’s just a question of what it’s going to look like, it’s not a question of are we going to allow it, because we are.”</p>
<p>Wilson said he was meeting with representatives from both Lyft and Uber immediately following the committee meeting, and Goodman requested that he report back in a month for an update on the new ordinance.</p>
<p>Ben Johnson // 612-436-5088 // <a href="mailto:%20bjohnson@mnpubs.com">bjohnson@mnpubs.com</a> // <a href="http://www.twiter.com/johnsonbend">@johnsonbend</a></p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 18 Mar 2014 22:51:21 +0000Ben Johnson22574 at http://www.journalmpls.comhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/work-continues-on-ride-sharing-ordinance-to-regulate-uberx-lyft#commentsSeven sites selected to showcase sustainable solar powerhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/seven-sites-selected-to-showcase-sustainable-solar-power
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<span class="field-slideshow-credit-text">Screenshot taken from the Nov. 20 Park Board meeting</span>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Ben Johnson</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>After receiving nearly one million dollars from an Xcel Energy grant, the Park Board has chosen seven sites scattered across Minneapolis to demonstrate examples of solar energy.</p>
<p>A 150 kilowatt (kW) installation will be placed on the roof of Parade Ice Garden and 10 kW demonstrative projects will be installed at Jim Lupient Water Park, Webber Park, East Phillips Park, Lake Calhoun refectory area (Tin Fish), Lake Nokomis main beach, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.</p>
<p>Craig Wilson with Sustology consulted on the project to help locate places in each of the six Park Board districts that were well-suited for solar panels. A variety of canopy, roof, awning, ground and pole mount installations were recommended, depending on the location. Wilson presented his recommendations at the Nov. 20 Park Board meeting, but the exact locations and types of installations haven’t been completely finalized yet.</p>
<p>Assistant Superintendent Bruce Chamberlin said the Park Board is exploring partnering with Minneapolis arts organizations to create art installations that would be integrated with the solar panel displays.</p>
<p>The Park Board supplemented Xcel Energy’s grant with $100,000 of its own, and combined the projects are expected save $28,000 per year on electricity bills. All of the projects are expected to be operational by 2015.</p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 17 Dec 2013 18:31:21 +0000Ben Johnson22118 at http://www.journalmpls.comhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/seven-sites-selected-to-showcase-sustainable-solar-power#comments